Confidence surrounding Ka Ying Rising has only strengthened following his arrival in Sydney, with trainer David Hayes declaring the reigning TAB Everest champion at least 10 per cent better than the horse who captured the $20 million sprint twelve months ago. The Hong Kong star stepped onto the Canterbury track on Tuesday morning after arriving in Sydney the previous afternoon, and early indications from Hayes’ team suggest the gelding has travelled even more smoothly than he did for his successful 2025 campaign. Ka Ying Rising lost only 5kg during the trip despite departing Hong Kong 7kg heavier than at any previous point, while his temperature remained normal and he ate up on arrival, factors that have encouraged both Hayes and his veterinary team. Speaking to racingnsw.com.au, Hayes said he believed the gelding had settled in better than at the corresponding stage last year and conservatively estimated his improvement at 10 per cent or more. That assessment is particularly significant given Ka Ying Rising’s dominant record over the past twelve months, during which Hayes has come to regard last year’s Everest victory as arguably one of the less emphatic performances of an otherwise extraordinary sequence. Having revisited previous editions of The Everest, the trainer nevertheless ranked Ka Ying Rising’s success among the easier wins in the race’s history and believes the horse is now operating at an even higher level. Hayes has been closely monitoring Australia’s sprinting ranks and considers reigning Australian Sprinter of the Year Joliestar the rival he respects most, while Gr2 Concorde Stakes winner Tempted also continues her preparation after finishing fourth in a Rosehill barrier trial. The major difference in Ka Ying Rising’s preparation this spring is the deliberate attempt to remove the fitness uncertainty that briefly surfaced before last year’s Everest, when both Hayes and jockey Zac Purton expressed concern after the gelding was beaten in a Randwick trial ten days before the race. This time, his Chief Executive’s Cup performance before entering quarantine was specifically designed to provide a stronger conditioning base, with Purton instructed to allow him to quicken from the 400 metres rather than ease him down. Ka Ying Rising responded by breaking the course record in 1:06.10, giving Hayes confidence that the gelding arrives in Australia considerably more forward. His Canterbury work will remain broadly familiar, although the stable intends to lengthen his slower exercise as he builds toward a public Randwick trial on October 6. With just over three weeks remaining until The Everest, Hayes believes the champion has travelled better, prepared better and returned stronger, leaving his rivals with the formidable task of finding the improvement required to threaten a horse already established as the benchmark of world-class sprinting.
NEWEverest Dream Finally Realised for Headwall
Wednesday, 23rd September 2026
Twelve months after an untimely injury extinguished what appeared to be a genuine chance of contesting The Everest, the long road back has finally delivered the outcome Matthew Smith and Headwall’s connections had been pursuing, with the seasoned sprinter securing his opportunity to take part in the $20 million Randwick showpiece. Few horses have had to make a more patient case for inclusion. Headwall first forced himself into elite sprinting calculations through a sequence that included placings in the Gr1 Newmarket Handicap and Gr1 TJ Smith Stakes as well as a narrow defeat in The Quokka, before winning the Concorde Stakes in 2025 and appearing on the cusp of attracting an Everest slot. That campaign ended almost immediately when a bone chip in a hind pastern was discovered, an unusual injury that could not be operated on and required a lengthy period of rehabilitation. Smith and the ownership group resisted the temptation to rush him, and the seven-year-old returned after approximately a year away to produce an outstanding second behind Tempted in this season’s upgraded Gr2 Concorde Stakes, despite encountering traffic before closing strongly. His follow-up fifth in the Gr2 The Shorts was more meritorious than the finishing position suggests, Headwall recording the fastest final 600 metres of the Randwick meeting as Mazu controlled the race from the front. As reported by racenet.com.au, Smith’s ambition of finally getting his stable star into The Everest has now become reality, completing a particularly satisfying turnaround after the disappointment of the previous spring. The achievement carries additional significance for a trainer who has always regarded Headwall as capable of competing at Gr1 level and whose patience through the rehabilitation process was matched by owners prepared to give the gelding every opportunity to recover completely. Headwall’s record already illustrates remarkable consistency: before his injury he had established himself repeatedly against Australia’s leading sprinters, while his comeback performances have shown that the lengthy absence has not robbed him of the explosive finish that originally brought him to the attention of Everest slot holders. The assignment awaiting him on October 17 could scarcely be more demanding, with Hong Kong champion Ka Ying Rising returning to defend his crown and an increasingly accomplished Australian contingent assembling around him, but simply reaching the race represents something more substantial than another entry on Headwall’s résumé. A year ago the opportunity disappeared almost as soon as it seemed within reach; this spring, perseverance has ensured that Smith and his stable finally get their chance on racing’s richest sprinting stage.
NEWCountry Cups to Underpin Victorian Carnival
Wednesday, 23rd September 2026
Regional racing will again form a substantial part of Victoria’s spring landscape, with 25 feature country Cups programmed between late September and the end of November, beginning with Coleraine on AFL Grand Final Eve and concluding with Traralgon on November 29. The series will take racing into communities across the state, including once-a-year meetings at Gunbower, Manangatang, Mt Wycheproof and Dunkeld, where Cup Day often draws crowds many times larger than the resident population and becomes as much a local celebration as a sporting occasion. Multiple Country Cups-winning trainer Emma-Lee Browne, who has claimed the past two Dunkeld Cups with Rhinoceros and Le Zebra, believes the attraction lies in that relaxed mix of racing, community and entertainment, telling racing.com that country Cups are “where it’s at” because of their informal, sociable atmosphere and capacity to bring people together at distinctive racecourses. That broader appeal is backed by considerable economic weight. Victoria’s Spring Racing Carnival generates more than $785 million in economic benefits, while the recently released Size and Scope of the Victorian Racing Industry Report values racing’s total contribution to the state at more than $5.5 billion, with regional Victoria accounting for 46 per cent of that impact. Country meetings provide a direct boost to accommodation, hospitality, retail and other local businesses, and Country Racing Victoria’s spring campaign, It’s Got It All, is designed to reinforce those wider attractions through live music, family activities, transport options and hospitality packages. Country Racing Victoria chief executive Scott Whiteman said spring offered clubs an opportunity to showcase both their meetings and the towns around them, with innovation increasingly important to maintaining an affordable and enjoyable raceday product. Several of the country Cups also retain major significance within the metropolitan spring program, most notably Geelong and Bendigo, which have long served as important Melbourne Cup form references. The $500,000 Gr3 Geelong Cup over 2400 metres carries added importance this year because its winner will receive ballot exemption into the Melbourne Cup, creating a direct pathway to Flemington. The race already has a distinguished history as a Cup stepping stone, with Media Puzzle completing the Geelong Cup-Melbourne Cup double in 2002 and Americain repeating the feat in 2010. Taken collectively, the country circuit offers far more than a supporting role to Victoria’s metropolitan carnival, combining serious racing, significant tourism value and the distinctive social character that has made spring racing an annual focal point for regional communities across the state.
NEWSystem Of Play Rewards Ohukia Gamble
Wednesday, 23rd September 2026
Stretching the budget at a yearling sale has proved a shrewd decision for Jamie and Chanel Beatson, with exciting three-year-old System Of Play emerging as one of New Zealand’s leading Gr1 2000 Guineas prospects after beginning his career with two victories from as many starts. Operating under their Ohukia Lodge banner, the Beatsons paid A$180,000 for the son of Vinery Stud stallion Ole Kirk at last year’s Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale, exceeding what they had originally intended to spend after identifying the colt remotely with the assistance of Bill and James Mitchell. That investment was subsequently vindicated in spectacular fashion when Te Akau principal Sir David Ellis paid NZ$480,000 for him at the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale, and System Of Play has continued to enhance his reputation on the racecourse. After winning on debut at Te Rapa in the autumn, he was spelled before returning with an impressive 1400-metre success at Ellerslie on Saturday for trainers Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson, a performance that has seen him installed as a $4 favourite for the Gr1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas at Riccarton. Beatson told racingnews.co.nz that the colt had appealed both on pedigree and type and, although Ohukia had to go beyond its anticipated price range, the decision now looks increasingly astute. System Of Play is out of the Medaglia D’Oro mare Statuesquely, whose granddam is dual Gr1 winner Lotteria, while former champion Singapore sprinter and elite performer The Inferno also appears on the page. Ohukia’s recent graduates include another promising three-year-old in Justin Case, a son of Banquo who was originally being prepared for the Ready to Run Sale before plans changed and he remained in the ownership of breeder Waikato Stud with Beatson. Trained by Kris Shailer, Justin Case has won three of his five starts, including the Gr3 Matamata Slipper last season, and began his current campaign by winning the Listed Sir Colin Meads Trophy. Although nominated for the 2000 Guineas, he is unlikely to travel to Riccarton, with Waikato Stud’s Mark Chittick considering him for a slot in the $4.5 million NZB Kiwi instead. Attention at Ohukia is also turning toward November’s Ready to Run Sale, where a Toronado colt from the family of three-time Melbourne Cup heroine Makybe Diva is expected to attract strong interest, alongside yearlings by All Too Hard and The Autumn Sun. System Of Play, however, is already providing compelling evidence that occasionally breaking the budget can be precisely the right commercial decision.
NZ 2000 Guineas favourite System of Play (pic: supplied)
NEWAppleby Juveniles Hit Top Gear
Wednesday, 23rd September 2026
Any lingering memory of a bleak early summer at Moulton Paddocks has been comprehensively erased by an extraordinary revival from Charlie Appleby’s team, with Nabati’s Gr2 Mill Reef Stakes success at Newbury providing the latest evidence that Godolphin’s juveniles are approaching the autumn’s defining races in formidable order. The transformation is particularly striking given where Appleby stood only three months ago. June produced just six winners, his lowest tally for that month since beginning his training career, while the stable was absent entirely from the Derby and Oaks meeting at Epsom and endured a winless Royal Ascot from 12 runners. Even Notable Speech, sent off at $3.25 for the Queen Anne Stakes, could finish only sixth behind $51 outsider Ten Bob Tony. The recovery began to become visible at Newmarket’s July Festival, where four Appleby winners offered the first compelling indication that the stable had turned a corner, and what followed has developed into something considerably more substantial. Writing for sportinglife.com, Ben Linfoot identified Nabati’s Mill Reef victory as another marker of a stable now operating at the opposite end of the spectrum from its June struggles, particularly among an increasingly imposing group of two-year-olds. The colt displayed sufficient speed and acceleration at Newbury to raise questions about whether attempting to stretch him to the 1600-metre 2000 Guineas next spring would even play to his strengths. His pedigree carries a pronounced sprinting influence and the evidence of the Mill Reef suggested that a three-year-old campaign built around speed, potentially culminating at Royal Ascot in the Commonwealth Cup, could prove the more natural direction. Appleby hardly lacks alternatives among his juvenile division, and attention now turns towards Newmarket’s Cambridgeshire meeting, where several highly regarded youngsters are positioned to strengthen the stable’s hand further. Al Jabbar is being readied for the Gr2 Tattersalls Stakes, First Law is in contention for the Gr2 Royal Lodge Stakes and Inner City Blues could tackle the Gr1 Middle Park Stakes, giving Godolphin significant representation across three important juvenile contests. Another promising youngster, Flower Show, added to the stable’s sequence at Newmarket when building on her Sandown debut to score over 1600 metres, Appleby indicating afterwards that the Dubawi filly possesses considerable physical scope and should continue to sharpen mentally. The contrast with June could scarcely be greater. A stable conspicuous by its absence at Epsom and unable to find a winner at Royal Ascot has reached autumn with a powerful collection of young horses, and Nabati’s Mill Reef performance suggests the resurgence may yet have its most important chapters still to come.
Geegees Mistruth Reigns Again
Wednesday, 23rd September 2026
Tasmania’s finest thoroughbred of the past two seasons has received another emphatic endorsement, with Geegees Mistruth crowned the state’s Horse of the Year for a second successive year following a campaign highlighted by her breakthrough Gr1 Robert Sangster Stakes triumph at Morphettville. The Tasmanian-owned and bred mare received the major honour at the Tasmanian Thoroughbred Racing Awards at Wrest Point Casino in Hobart, while also collecting the Leading Tasmanian Racemare or Filly title and continuing an extraordinary sequence through the state’s age and open awards. Having previously been recognised as Tasmania’s outstanding two-year-old and three-year-old before securing Horse of the Year honours last season, Geegees Mistruth became the first galloper since Mystic Journey to progress through those categories and then successfully defend the principal title. Her latest recognition followed a season in which success beyond Bass Strait gave Tasmania one of its most significant results in recent years. The daughter of Wordsmith delivered the Geard family’s Geegees operation its first victory at the highest level when prevailing in a blanket finish to the Robert Sangster, having begun her career with Stuart Gandy in Tasmania before transferring to Mark Walker’s Cranbourne stable. As reported by tasracing.com.au, Tasracing chief executive Andrew Jenkins said the annual awards provided an opportunity to recognise the horses and participants underpinning the state’s industry and reflect upon their dedication and achievements. Geegees Mistruth was far from the only notable name celebrated during a night combining the current season’s honours with recognition of some of Tasmanian racing’s most distinguished performers and participants. John Blacker was named Leading Trainer and Erica Byrne Burke Leading Jockey, while Aristopolos secured Two-Year-Old of the Year and Sanniya was rewarded as Three-Year-Old of the Year after a season that included victories against older horses in the Gr3 Mystic Journey Stakes and Gr3 Vamos Stakes. Stratosphere collected the Leading Tasmanian-Based Juvenile Sire award, Needs Further was recognised as Leading Tasmanian-Based Sire and Miss Mana received Broodmare of the Year honours. The evening also carried a strong historical dimension, with accomplished gallopers The Inevitable and Hellova Street inducted into the Tasmanian Racing Hall of Fame alongside former race caller Colin McNiff and jockey Harold Coutts, while multiple Gr1-winning rider Craig Newitt was elevated to Legend status. Against that distinguished backdrop, however, Geegees Mistruth again occupied centre stage, her second consecutive Horse of the Year crown confirming a remarkable journey from unbeaten young Tasmanian prospect to mainland Gr1 winner and flagbearer for her home state.
Vinery’s Young Talent Makes Early Impact
Wednesday, 23rd September 2026
With the first Sydney juvenile trials of the season often providing an early glimpse of what lies ahead, Vinery had every reason to come away from Kensington encouraged after its sires and sale graduates made a strong statement. Vinery-linked youngsters accounted for almost 10 per cent of the 55 two-year-olds to step out on the morning, reinforcing the farm’s standing as a major source of racetrack talent, while Ole Kirk also enjoyed a particularly notable showing by equalling champion sire Zoustar for the most runners represented. Among the standout performers was the Exceedance filly She’s Supreme, who stepped out after two jump-outs and returned the equal-fastest time of the session as well as the quickest time of any filly, putting a race such as the Gr3 Gimcrack Stakes firmly into calculations for trainer Marc Conners. Purchased from Vinery Stud’s Inglis Classic draft earlier this year, She’s Supreme is out of the winning Pierro mare Absolemm, a half-sister to Gr2 winner Glenfiddich, and Conners made it clear there is more to come from the youngster, noting she was still learning her craft despite showing plenty of natural ability. Vinery’s influence was also strongly felt through champion first season sire Ole Kirk, whose daughter Shraddha turned heads with an impressive trial win under Tommy Berry for Michael Freedman. Freedman revealed Berry had jumped the filly out 10 days earlier and was keen to ride her again, and while Shraddha remained green and was still taking everything in, he was full of praise for the way she handled herself, saying the well-made filly had a nice future ahead of her. A $250,000 purchase by Michael Freedman and Andrew Williams Bloodstock from Vinery’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale draft, Shraddha is out of Spicy and hails from the family of sharp black-type juvenile Paprika, while the page is set to deepen further with Spicy’s exceptional yearling half-sister by Hawaii Five Oh to be offered in 2027. In another positive for the farm, Spicy will also return to Vinery this season to visit new sire Tropicus, keeping the family firmly within the Vinery fold. The farm’s strength was not confined to emerging juveniles either, with Vinery graduates Sepals and Regal Award finishing second and third respectively in the Gr1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes over the weekend. From the first two-year-old trials of the season through to elite-level competition, the latest results provided another timely reminder that Vinery’s imprint continues to be felt across every tier of the racing landscape.
Glittering Frankel Story Beckons Hollywood
Wednesday, 23rd September 2026
Racing’s uneasy relationship with the cinema could be poised for another major chapter amid renewed reports that Frankel’s extraordinary unbeaten career and his association with Sir Henry Cecil may receive the big-screen treatment, although the prospect has also revived debate over which of the sport’s great stories Hollywood should tell next. Frankel offers material extending far beyond a simple catalogue of victories: 14 starts produced 14 wins, including ten at Gr1 level, while his official rating of 140 and performances such as his 11-length Queen Anne Stakes demolition established him among the defining thoroughbreds of the modern era. Yet the emotional dimension of the story rests just as strongly with Cecil, the revered trainer who had returned from a difficult period professionally and was seriously ill during the later stages of Frankel’s career. That combination of an exceptional horse and a compelling human narrative is precisely what can transform racing from sporting biography into broader drama. Writing in racingpost.com, Chris Cook noted that reader Andrew Evzona had another candidate altogether, questioning why Frankel should reach the cinema before Arkle. The discussion inevitably recalls Seabiscuit, released more than two decades ago and nominated for seven Academy Awards, whose appeal stretched beyond racing because the horse’s struggles and resurgence were framed against Depression-era America. By comparison, the later Secretariat film had magnificent equine material but followed a more conventional champion’s narrative, illustrating the difficulty of translating greatness alone into compelling cinema. Arkle presents possibilities of a different kind. His emergence under Tom Dreaper could be framed through the Anglo-Irish rivalry with Fulke Walwyn and mighty Mill House, who defeated Arkle in the 1963 Hennessy before the Irish star turned the tables in the following year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup and began establishing his legend. Another storyline lies within Dreaper’s own stable, where Arkle shared quarters with the formidable Flyingbolt. The tantalising question of which was superior was never conclusively answered, despite the pair once schooling together, while Flyingbolt’s subsequent illness denied racing the prospect of a definitive confrontation. Red Rum offers yet another ready-made screenplay through his extraordinary Grand National sequence, combining early triumph, later defeats and the celebrated final victory of 1977. Frankel nevertheless possesses something particularly suited to cinema: perfection on the racecourse intertwined with Cecil’s final great chapter. Whether the reported project reaches production remains uncertain, but racing hardly lacks the characters, rivalry, jeopardy and emotion required to fill a screen.
Sunday Spotlight Returns To Victoria
Wednesday, 23rd September 2026
A rare Sunday Group 1 program will give Victorian racing a different complexion this weekend when the Manikato Stakes headlines a substantial Caulfield card, marking the first time in four years that the state has staged elite-level racing on a Sunday. The scheduling is a consequence of Moonee Valley being unavailable and the need to avoid a collision with Saturday’s AFL Grand Final, but the unusual slot also revives a format that has produced some memorable spring performances. As racing.com noted in outlining the weekend agenda, Sunday Group 1 racing in Victoria has been uncommon in recent seasons, although its relatively brief modern history includes several striking results. Black Heart Bart produced one of the great upsets when winning the 2019 Underwood Stakes at $101 while Alligator Blood landed the same race in 2022 at $8 after I’m Thunderstruck and Zaaki had dominated betting. Hartnell’s emphatic 2016 Turnbull Stakes success at Flemington was another Sunday highlight, the Godolphin gelding defeating subsequent Caulfield Cup heroine Jameka. This weekend’s supporting program gives the meeting significance well beyond the Manikato itself. The Gr2 Stutt Stakes over 1600 metres remains an established stepping stone towards the Caulfield Guineas, a pathway demonstrated as recently as 2023 when Griff completed the double despite starting at $31 in the Guineas. Pride Of Jenni supplies another major attraction in the Gr2 Feehan Stakes over 1600 metres as she attempts to win the race for a third consecutive year, although this time the assignment comes at Caulfield rather than Moonee Valley. The venue itself is hardly unfamiliar territory, with Pride Of Jenni having produced one of her most celebrated front-running displays there when collecting the $2 million All-Star Mile. The Gr3 JRA Cup over 2040 metres also assumes additional importance after being moved from its customary Cox Plate-eve position, particularly for horses attempting to satisfy the Caulfield Cup’s first ballot clause. Away from Caulfield, Mornington takes its traditional AFL Grand Final-day position on Saturday, where the Listed Ansett Classic over 2400 metres has developed an impressive record as a spring staying guide: Whisky On The Hill, Herman Hesse, Saracen Knight and Lunar Flare are among recent winners who subsequently collected another feature staying prize during the same spring. It will be a big weekend of sport in Australia: the Gr1 Golden Rose meeting in Sydney overlaps with the AFL Grand Final, followed by Sunday's Manikato meeting and then the Wallabies versus the Springboks in Perth.
Proverb Stamps Breeders’ Plate Passport
Wednesday, 23rd September 2026
An impressive change of gear rather than a polished beginning was the feature of Proverb’s first official public examination at Randwick, with the expensive Written Tycoon colt giving trainer Michael Freedman and syndicator James Harron another potential Breeders’ Plate contender. The $700,000 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale purchase won the opening 850-metre two-year-old trial on the Kensington circuit in 50.25 seconds, overcoming an awkward beginning before Tim Clark allowed him to settle behind the speed and produce his strongest work when clear room appeared late. Proverb swept through to defeat Chris Waller’s Home Affairs colt Internal Security by a narrow margin, with Peter Snowden’s Capitalist colt Ocean Veil third, and the manner of the performance was arguably more instructive than the winning margin. Rather than enjoying an uncomplicated experience in front, the youngster was required to cope with traffic, settle and then accelerate, valuable lessons should connections elect to send him to the Gr3 Breeders’ Plate over 1000 metres at Randwick. According to punters.com.au, Freedman and Harron are considering precisely that route, one carrying an obvious resonance after the pair combined to win last season’s Breeders’ Plate with Incognito. Proverb remains inexperienced, but his pedigree and price ensured he arrived at the official juvenile trials with considerable expectations. By champion stallion Written Tycoon, he is the second foal of imported No Nay Never mare Shines Her Light and was offered by Yulong before being secured by the James Harron Bloodstock Colt Partnership and Tony Fung Colts. Shines Her Light is a half-sister to Gr1 winner Ventura Storm, whose Australian career included victory in the Gr2 Moonee Valley Cup, providing Proverb with an intriguing blend of precocious speed and deeper-distance quality on the maternal side. His trial was not the fastest of Monday morning – several later heats were run considerably quicker as conditions improved – but raw time told only part of the story. Proverb was asked to solve a problem after his beginning, remained composed behind horses and responded sharply when Clark found daylight, attributes likely to prove valuable when the pressure increases on race day. The early juvenile program offers little time for prolonged education, with the Breeders’ Plate and its fillies’ counterpart, the Gr3 Gimcrack Stakes, rapidly approaching, and Freedman appears to have several promising youngsters emerging at the right time. For Proverb, the immediate question is simply whether he absorbs the experience and progresses sufficiently to take his place on Epsom Day. His first official trial supplied no guarantee of what lies ahead, but it did provide Harron and Freedman with an encouraging opening answer.
$700,000 secured Proverb at the Gold Coast (pic: magicmillions.com.au)
Bargain Buy Chases Home-Town Prize
Wednesday, 23rd September 2026
A modest $4,500 outlay could deliver one of the most satisfying victories of Troy Pascoe’s training career when progressive three-year-old High Prophet tackles Saturday’s $100,000 Toowoomba Guineas over 1200 metres on his home circuit. Bought by Pascoe from the Lucas Bloodstock draft at the 2025 Magic Millions Capricornia Yearling Sale, the gelding has already made his purchase price look remarkably inexpensive, building a record of two wins and a placing from his first three appearances and heading into the Guineas after announcing himself in metropolitan company at Doomben. That latest performance was particularly encouraging, High Prophet carrying 54.5 kilograms under Jake Bayliss and defeating Huggie by 1.3 lengths over 1110 metres on September 12 after settling off the early speed. He started at $8 and stopped the clock at 1:04.48, with Iransofar another 0.2 lengths away in third, providing Pascoe with compelling evidence that his inexpensive acquisition belongs in stronger company. The gelding’s rise is central to a classic racing story highlighted by racenet.com.au: a relatively cheap yearling attempting to turn a small initial investment into victory in a valuable feature on the trainer’s own doorstep. High Prophet is by Caulfield Guineas winner Divine Prophet from the High Chaparral mare High Adversity, and his early record suggests the price attached to him in the sales ring has had little relationship to his capacity on the track. His education began with a Toowoomba Inner Track barrier trial in March, when he finished third over 925 metres, before quickly establishing a race record that now reads 1-3-1. The Doomben victory also demonstrated a degree of versatility, with High Prophet able to settle behind runners before finishing strongly rather than requiring an uncontested position near the lead. Saturday presents another examination, with a dozen horses nominated for the Toowoomba Guineas, including Apostle, Cause She Can, Iransofar, Magritte, O’Reillys Flight, Swift Dragon, Toscanella and Watchman. For Pascoe, however, the appeal goes considerably deeper than the prizemoney. Based at Newtown and long associated with racing on the Darling Downs, he learned his craft under legendary Toowoomba horseman Jim Atkins, serving as his foreman after arriving in the city determined to work for the Hall of Fame trainer. A feature victory at Clifford Park with a gelding purchased for little more than loose change by modern yearling-sale standards would therefore carry a particularly appropriate sense of homecoming. High Prophet is by Champion Sire Proisir's Gr1 Caulfield Guines-winning full-brother Divine Prophet.
Little Paradise Sets HKJC Mile Course
Wednesday, 23rd September 2026
A more mature and settled version of one of Hong Kong’s most exciting gallopers will begin a campaign aimed squarely at December’s Hong Kong Mile when Little Paradise resumes in Sunday’s HK$4.2 million Gr3 Celebration Cup over 1400 metres at Sha Tin. Trainer Jimmy Ting believes the five-year-old has benefited both mentally and physically from his break after a four-year-old season in which flashes of exceptional ability were occasionally accompanied by difficult passages and questions over his optimum distance. Little Paradise finished that campaign by emphatically answering at least one of those questions, defeating established Gr1 performer Galaxy Patch in the Gr3 Premier Cup over Sunday’s course and distance in June to record his seventh victory from 13 starts. Earlier, the son of Toronado had produced perhaps his most striking performance when overcoming significant traffic problems to capture February’s Hong Kong Classic Mile, bursting through late after being held up from the 400 metres until near the 200 metres. His subsequent Classic campaign proved less rewarding, with an eighth behind Stormy Grove over 1800 metres before the Hong Kong Derby’s 2000 metres stretched his stamina beyond its most effective range. A return to the elite mile division then brought another luckless passage when 10th behind My Wish in the Gr1 Champions Mile. Ting told scmp.com that Little Paradise had enjoyed time at Conghua and in the paddock during his break, and while the gelding is not yet at his peak, his trainer believes two trials have brought him sufficiently forward for the opening phase of the season. Importantly, Ting also considers him calmer while his body weight remains around the level at which he performs best. Zac Purton takes the mount on Sunday after partnering Little Paradise when he was narrowly beaten in his latest dirt trial at Sha Tin, and the champion jockey will have the opportunity to assess where he sits ahead of the major mile lead-ups. Ting has mapped out a deliberately focused program, with the Gr2 Sha Tin Trophy over 1600 metres on October 19 and Gr2 BOCHK Private Wealth Jockey Club Mile on November 22 pencilled in before the Hong Kong Mile. The Celebration Cup will provide an immediate examination against accomplished opposition, with Hong Kong Derby winner Invincible Ibis joined by Helios Express, Galaxy Patch, Patch Of Theta, Copartner Prance, Stormy Grove, Lucky With You and Soleil Fighter. Little Paradise has already demonstrated the acceleration required to trouble high-class rivals; the task now is to convert that talent into sustained performance at the highest level.
Cosmic One Extends Winning Sequence
Wednesday, 23rd September 2026
Four consecutive victories have carried Cosmic One from promising South Australian galloper to a horse whose trainer Travis Doudle is now prepared to test him away from home during the carnival, with the gelding again proving too strong at Morphettville despite being burdened with 61 kilograms. Ben Price was entrusted with navigating the latest assignment and justified Doudle’s confidence, producing a composed ride from an outside barrier as Cosmic One maintained his unbeaten sequence with another authoritative performance. Doudle described the horse as talented and emphasised that his work leading into the race had been faultless, while the trainer was unconcerned by the wide draw and credited Price with executing the task superbly. The intention now is to travel with Cosmic One during the carnival, a significant progression for a horse whose four-race winning streak has earned the opportunity to discover where his ceiling lies. His victory formed the headline act of a varied Morphettville Parks program examined by racingsa.com.au, but several other emerging gallopers also strengthened their future prospects. Andrew Gluyas-trained four-year-old Dirty Old Town returned to winning form at her second appearance of the preparation, defeating the talented Shady Thinker and showing the improvement Gluyas had hoped to see after her spell. She had risen quickly through the grades during her previous campaign, stringing together three consecutive victories before finishing third in the Listed Morphettville Guineas, and her latest performance suggested another step through the ranks may be within reach. Gluyas believes the daughter of Dirty Work has furnished further, although her undemonstrative trackwork makes her difficult to assess away from race day. Former Queensland filly Diversity also made an immediate impression for Jess Tzaferis, winning first-up under Jacob Opperman and prompting her trainer to identify longer-term ambitions. Tzaferis regards the mare as a progressive type capable of developing into a useful miler, with next year’s Murray Bridge Cup floated as a possible target, while the victory also delivered an important result for her MyRacehorse ownership group. Interstate stables enjoyed their share of the afternoon as well. Jason Warren and Todd Pannell combined with Chicago Blues in the opener, Tennessee Spirit provided Toby Lake with his first metropolitan training success when scoring by 2.74 lengths under Jordyn Weatherley, the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr-trained Giggenbach prevailed over 1950 metres and Matt Jenkins prepared Prestige Zerprise to win under Kayla Crowther. Yet Cosmic One supplied the defining performance, conceding weight without surrendering his winning habit and giving Doudle every reason to seek stronger company beyond South Australia.
Jenni Chasing Historic Feehan Treble
Wednesday, 23rd September 2026
Age appears to have done remarkably little to diminish one of Australian racing’s most compelling performers, with Pride Of Jenni preparing to launch what could be the final spring campaign of her career by attempting an unprecedented personal hat-trick in Sunday’s Gr2 Feehan Stakes over 1600 metres at Caulfield. Now nine and with 48 starts behind her, the four-time Gr1 winner has given Ciaron Maher’s team every indication that the qualities which transformed her into one of the country’s most spectacular front-runners remain intact. Her preparation has included two Cranbourne jumpouts, beginning with a fourth behind Jigsaw over 800 metres on August 31 before she dominated a 1200-metre heat on September 14. Maher’s national assistant trainer Jack Turnbull told racingnews.co.nz that the latter may have been the finest jumpout the stable has seen from the mare and described her as being in an exceptionally good place heading into her return. There has also been a notable evolution in her temperament. Once fierce in her work and considerably more demanding to train, Pride Of Jenni has mellowed with maturity, understands what is required of her and is consequently easier for the stable to manage, although none of that appears to have blunted the competitive intensity that has defined her career. Sunday provides an appropriately familiar starting point. She defeated Mr Brightside to capture the Feehan in 2024 before returning to win the race again in 2025, when Treasurethe Moment finished second, and her old rival could again be waiting at Caulfield provided Lindsay Park is satisfied the surface is not too firm. The venue represents the major difference this year, with the Feehan transferred from its traditional Moonee Valley home while that course is unavailable. Pride Of Jenni nevertheless has ample evidence of her effectiveness at Caulfield, most memorably through her devastating front-running All-Star Mile victory there in 2024. Beyond Sunday, another familiar prize provides the principal spring objective. The Gr1 Empire Rose Stakes over 1600 metres at Flemington on October 31 is again firmly in the picture after Pride Of Jenni captured the race in both 2023 and 2025, while earlier planning had left connections with several other elite-level options depending upon her performances. There is, however, an unavoidable poignancy accompanying this preparation. Turnbull acknowledged that the stable does not know how many appearances remain before retirement and intends to appreciate each one. After more than $12 million in earnings and a career built around audacious performances rather than longevity alone, Pride Of Jenni has already travelled far beyond ordinary expectations. A third Feehan would provide another fitting distinction, but for those closest to her, this spring is increasingly about enjoying the remarkable mare while she is still there to be enjoyed.
A Feehan treble is possible for Pride of Jenni (pic: Mark Gatt)
